


Darling Now's the Time to Dry Your Eyes

by tiniestmite



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [5]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Blood and Injury, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stabbing, Whump, Worried TK Strand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27564781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/pseuds/tiniestmite
Summary: “Thank goodness that’s over,” TK breathes out a sigh of relief. He looks over to Carlos, noticing the other man still appears to be in shock. “Carlos, are you okay?”Carlos doesn’t answer. Instead he looks down, slowly pulling his hand away from his abdomen where he had been holding on to prior since the fight broke up. As he moves his hand, TK can now clearly see the growing stain of blood pooling under Carlos’ tight t-shirt, and the sticky red that is covering his hand. For a moment, his eyes widen as he looks up at TK before they roll back and TK has to lunge forward, catching Carlos before he hits the ground.~Trick wanted hardcore whump... ask and ye shall receive.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984406
Comments: 16
Kudos: 125
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	Darling Now's the Time to Dry Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trxtr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trxtr/gifts).



> Written for the “stabbing” square on my bthb card (open for requests - see the board [here](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/) :) 
> 
> Requested by @trkstrnd who said “hey !!! i love ur fics on ao3 (it’s trxtr i got a tumblr) and i was wondering if for you BTHB card you could do the stabbing plot w tarlos and/or tk owen? everything else is up to you; full creative liberty, i just really like hardcore whumps ❤️❤️"
> 
> Title from "Morning Light" by Wilderado

It all happened fast. Too fast.

That’s all TK can think about as he spends yet another evening in the hospital waiting room trying to process the events that occurred just a few hours prior.

He nervously chews on his bottom lip, not even realizing how hard he was biting down until he noticed the familiar metallic taste of blood forming in his mouth. _Shit._

He opens his mouth to take a deep breath, so as to stop from chewing any harder, and leans back trying to relax the rest of his tensed up joints. 

_Why is this taking so long?_

Of course he understands that any kind of surgery is not going to be a short task. But he thinks they could at least give him an update since he arrived with Carlos nearly an hour ago. 

Without even noticing, his leg begins to bounce up and down again. A trait that normally makes other people more tense is to him an easy way to release some of the anxiety that has been bubbling inside him. And fortunately for him, the waiting room is completely empty tonight.

Unfortunately that also means there’s no one here to talk him down. To reassure him that it’s all going to be okay. That Carlos is going to be okay.

No, instead he only has the comfort of his own thoughts, playing back the images that will forever be burned in his brain. 

He can feel the tears beginning to pool in the corners of his eyes. Tears he has tried so hard all night to hold in. But with no update on his boyfriend and no one here to tell him to relax, he can’t hold back any longer.

Reaching up to wipe them away before anyone does arrive, he notices the spots of red still caked on his hands. It didn’t even occur to him that he needed to wash the blood off. 

But he can’t leave. Even though he remembers passing a bathroom just down the hall, he can’t make himself get up. Not yet. Not until he knows something, anything about Carlos’ condition.

So he sits and waits. And starts to chew on his lip again.

* * *

It was the first time in a long time that Carlos and TK both had a free night and they were determined not to let it go to waste. That’s how they end up in the lobby of the movie theater in downtown Austin, waiting in line to buy a ticket to Christopher Nolan’s new film.

“Oh shit,” Carlos says, breaking TK from his thoughts. “I left my wallet in the car.”

“Do you want me to run out and get it?”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll be right back,” Carlos smiles and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before darting out of the building. 

When the other man is out of sight, TK turns back to face forward. While he waits, he reads the titles of the other films playing tonight, mostly ones he never heard of.

He is caught off guard by the sounds of shouting from outside. He briefly considers letting it go and holding their place in line. But the fact that more than a few minutes have passed and Carlos has still not returned, he decides it’s better just to check. If only to settle the unease building in his stomach.

When he exits the building and glances down the street to where Carlos had parked the car, his stomach drops. 

There he spots Carlos frozen in place, just a few feet away from two men dressed in dark clothing. If the tense posture of his boyfriend didn’t give it away that this was no friendly conversation, the glimpse he gets as the knife the one man is holding catches the glow of the street light tells him all he needs to know.

Before he can stop himself, he finds himself running down the street toward the danger. As he gets closer, it dawns on him that he probably should have called for help. But the thought of Carlos dealing with this on his own was too much for TK to bear. And now there was no turning back.

“TK?” Carlos questions as he reaches his side, fear ever present in his voice. “You shouldn’t have come out here.”

“Stop talking,” the man with the knife warns. 

TK gulps, obeying the man’s request and not responding to Carlos. 

“Now both of you, empty your pockets,” the other man orders. 

TK instinctively goes to reach into his pocket but Carlos catches his hand and pulls him behind him so Carlos is now shielding TK.

“No.”

“Carlos…” TK hisses.

“You should listen to your friend here,” the second man says. 

TK watches intently as Carlos only shakes his head. Why does his boyfriend have to be so damn stubborn?

The man holding the knife shrugs at his partner. “I guess we don’t have a choice then.”

The next thing TK knows, the man with the knife is charging at them and Carlos charges back, attempting to disarm him. The second man jumps in, trying to get Carlos off the man with the knife. TK takes that opportunity to enter in the scuffle, jumping on top of the second man to get him off of Carlos’ back. 

The chaos is only interrupted by the introduction of sirens pulling up to the scene. The two muggers exchange a quick lock before running off, with one officer jumping out of the cruiser already in pursuit.

“Thank goodness that’s over,” TK breathes out a sigh of relief. He looks over to Carlos, noticing the other man still appears to be in shock. “Carlos, are you okay?”

Carlos doesn’t answer. Instead he looks down, slowly pulling his hand away from his abdomen where he had been holding on to prior since the fight broke up. As he moves his hand, TK can now clearly see the growing stain of blood pooling under Carlos’ tight t-shirt, and the sticky red that is covering his hand. For a moment, his eyes widen as he looks up at TK before they roll back and TK has to lunge forward, catching Carlos before he hits the ground.

* * *

“Mr. Strand?”

TK looks up at the nurse that has now appeared in the doorway of the waiting room. He recognizes her as the nurse that had first shown him to the room to wait.

“I just got word that Mr. Reyes is out of surgery. I can take you back to his room if you would like?”

He eagerly nods, standing up and following her out of the room and down the hall. She smiles as they stop outside of room 402, before leaving him to go in alone. 

But he can’t find the courage to walk in. Instead he just stands there, watching the soft rise and fall of Carlos’ chest from the door frame. He looks so peaceful as he sleeps, yet TK knows he must still be in pain.

All TK wants to do is hold him and tell him that it’s going to be okay. But nothing about this is okay.

  
So he stands frozen at the entrance of the room until he finally forces himself to move, taking a seat next to Carlos’ bed and grabs his hand. 

He places a soft kiss onto Carlos’ limp hand and tries his best to keep the tears from rolling down his cheek.

Carlos is going to be okay. 

He has to be. 

* * *

Feeling Carlos’ deadweight in his arms, TK tries his best to hold it together.

There is a flurry of activity around him and he overhears one officer requesting immediate medical assistance. Help is coming.

_Not soon enough._

Carlos is bleeding out in his arms and there’s nothing he can do about it. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispers into Carlos’ head.

How could this have happened? They were just supposed to be going to the movies together.

“Sir, you need to step back so we have room to work.”  
  
He’s suddenly aware of hands grabbing him, trying to pull him up, away from Carlos. 

He shakes his head.

“Sir, please. You have to get up and let the paramedics work.”

“No, I’m a first responder. Please let me help,” he cries out. He hates how whiny it sounds, but they have to let him help. Right?

His pleas fall on deaf ears and he is pulled away from Carlos as the paramedics work to stabilize the bleeding. 

“I understand how difficult this is,” one of the officers standing in front of him starts to say. “I do need to take your statement though.”

TK only barely registers what the man is saying. He feels numb. 

Ignoring the officer’s insistence that he relay what exactly happened, TK stares right through him, unable to break away from looking at his boyfriend laying on the sidewalk. 

* * *

“How’s he doing?”

TK jumps a little, startled by his dad’s entrance into Carlos’ hospital room. Honestly, he’s not even sure how much time has passed since he sat down. All he knew was the machine Carlos is hooked up to keeps a steady beep, so he was alive. And that’s all TK was concerned with right now.

“Doctor’s said the wound was deep but they were able to stop the internal bleeding.”

His dad nods. “And how are you doing?”

“I’m not the one in the hospital bed,” he replies, not looking away from Carlos.

Truthfully, TK has tried his best not to think about himself too much. His focus is on Carlos. It has to be. He’s the one that is injured, after all.

“That’s not what I meant, TK,” Owen says, crouching down next to TK’s chair. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” he tries to affirm, though the shakiness in his statement betrays him.

“TK…”

He opens his mouth to fight back, instead a sob escapes and he collapses into his father’s embrace. All the emotions he had been holding back since he arrived at the hospital fall out of him as his father holds him, rubbing circles on his back until TK calms down enough to speak. 

“He was protecting me,” he says, though it comes out more muffled as TK is still pressed against his dad’ chest.

“What?”

TK pulls himself away from his dad and wipes his tears. “I offered to go back out to the car, but he was the one who insisted he go… It could have been me that got hurt.”

“But it wasn’t…” Owen says, coming out more as a sympathetic observation. 

TK can only nod. _Why would Carlos intently put himself in harm’s way? Did Carlos really care about him this much?_

Of course, TK knows he would have done the exact same thing, had the situation been reversed. No question about it.

That’s what only makes this so much harder. 

“I love him,” TK whispers.

“I know,” Owen replies and TK looks up at him. “You know Carlos loves you too, right? It’s why he protected you tonight.”

TK doesn’t know what to say to that. He’s not surprised at the observation. It had been clear that the two men loved each other for a while now, but they had yet to say it to each other. And now to hear it said out loud while Carlos wasn’t awake to hear it is entirely different and it didn’t sit right with him

His dad gives him a soft squeeze on the shoulder before bringing another chair around to sit next to TK. They fall into a comfortable silence, waiting for Carlos to wake up.

And when he finally does, TK has to refrain from crying again. Instead he holds the other man’s hand, giving him soft kisses, and telling him that they’re okay.

His dad watched with a soft smile, adding in his own well wishes for Carlos when he got a chance. At some point he slipped out of the room, but TK was too focused on the miracle of seeing Carlos’s eyes to notice.

TK knows he should take this opportunity to say those three words. But looking in Carlos’ eyes and seeing that he’s okay, he decides against it (for now). They still have time. And for now, TK is content with that.

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled a little writing this one but I do like how it came out in the end. Big thank you to [Jillian](https://brilliantbanshee.tumblr.com/), [Paige](https://sunshinestrand.tumblr.com/), and [Lire](https://lire-casander.tumblr.com/) who all really helped with this 💕
> 
> I love comments and kudos so much..
> 
> Let's talk about whump on [tumblr](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/)


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